Automatic fee determining system for parking garages

ABSTRACT

A parking fee is automatically computed on the basis of elapsed time between the issuing of a ticket to a customer upon entry to the facility and the surrendering of the ticket by the customer upon departure from the facility. The tickets are in the form of reusable plastic cards embossed with permanent encoded information representative of a specified time interval during a given day. The customer is issued, upon entry to the facility, a ticket bearing information corresponding to his time of entry. A ticket dispenser having an indexable magazine with compartments corresponding to different periods of time throughout the day is sequentially indexed by a clock to issue the proper ticket at the proper time. Upon departure, the ticket is surrendered to a card reader which compares the time of surrender with the issue time encoded upon the card and a fee is displayed based on the computed elapsed time. Cash in the amount due when deposited at a pay station adjacent the card reader opens the exit gate. The cards are embossed with bar coded information which is read by scanning the underside of the card with feeler fingers which engage in the depressions of the underside of the code bars to advance switches to positions which decode the encoded information.

Gieringer et a].

[451 Nov. 27, 1973 AUTOMATIC FEE DETERMINING SYSTEM Primary Examiner-Maynard R. Wilbur FOR PARKING GARAGES Assistant Examiner-Robert F. Gnuse Attorney-Wood, Herron & Evans [75] Inventors: Carl K. Gierlnger; Vernon T.

Kleimeyer; Thomas J. Schinner; Paul A. Singer, all of Cincinnati, [57] ABSTRACT Ohio A parking fee is automatically computed on the basis [73] Assisnee: Cincinnati Time Recorder Company of elapsed time between the issuing of a ticket to a Inc" Cincinnati, Ohio customer upon entry to the facility and the surrendering of the ticket by the customer upon departure from [22] Flled: May 1971 the facility. The tickets are in the form of reusable 2 APPL 43 3 plastic cards embossed with permanent encoded information representative of a specified time interval during a given day. The customer is issued, upon entry to 5 s CL 2 5 A, 194/DIG 23, 235/92 TC, the facility, a ticket bearing information correspond- 235/92 R, 340/51 ing to his time of entry. A ticket dispenser having an 51 Int. Cl Gos 1/65 ihdexahle magazine with compartments corresponding 58 Field of Search 194/4, DIG. 23, DIG. 21, to different Periods of time throughout the day is 194/DIG. 22, DIG. 24; 340/51, 43, 80 quentially indexed by a clock to issue the proper 235/613 Av 92 TC ticket at the proper time. Upon departure, the ticket is surrendered to a card reader which compares the time of surrender with the issue time encoded upon the References Cited card and a fee is displayed based on the computed UNITED STATES PATENTS elapsed time. Cash in the amount due when deposited 3,548,161 12 1970 Schwarz 235/6l.8 A at a P Station adjacent the Card reader Opens the 3,641,314 2 1972 Abramson 235/6l.8 A exit g The cards are embossed with bar Coded 2,906,505 9/1959 Orr 235/6L8 A formation which is ready by scanning the underside of 2,947,591 8/1960 Henry 235/92 TC the card with feeler fingers which engage in the de- 3,484,586 12/1969 Wilson et al l94/DIG. 23 pressions of the underside of the code bars to advance switches to positions which decode the encoded information.

10 Claims, 29 Drawing Figures an; 243 we 'fi/VPi/Pf 5%875167 EH0 am/f r ice Z3 7 AW/T 9? IMZ an M7 fl/SFf/VSZ 7/4/1457 ZZZ; Mfi7fl/V/57Q p: M07fl/P/5 7 WWW/9W5 P/AK/M Margy/5 Eb //15/?75 7721: 7 a iii/9 flat-IP75 ZS PATENTH] NOV 27 I975 SHEET 01 0F 15 PMENIEUHnv 27 I975 SHEET 020F 15 I PATENTEU "BY 2 7 I975 7 3.775593 SHEET USUF 15 MM N v.

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AUTOMATIC FEE DETERMINING SYSTEM FOR PARKING GARAGES The present invention relates to automatic time basis charging systems particularly useful in unattended parking garages and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems in which a ticket is issued to a customer and, upon surrender of the ticket, the customer is charged on the basis of the time elapsed between the issuing and surrender of the ticket.

Systems to which the present invention relates are particularly useful in parking lots and garages for automatically charging a customer of the garage for the elapsed time between entry and departure. According to many systems of the prior art, a ticket is issued to a customer upon his entry to the parking facility. This ticket is imprinted as it is issued with numerals indicative of its time of issuance. Upon leaving the parking facility, the customer surrenders his ticket and the time recorded upon the ticket is subtracted from the time of its surrender to arrive at an elapsed time. The elapsed time is used as the basis for computing the amount the customer is to be charged.

In many variable fee systems, these tickets are issued by, and surrendered to, an attendant who computes the elapsed time based upon a visual reading of a clock and printed information recorded on the ticket to determine the fee to be charged. In some semi-automated systems, the ticket is automatically issued with visual information indicating the time of issue recorded upon the ticket, but the ticket is still surrendered to an attendant who manually computes the charge. As a further degree of sophistication, there are prior art systems in which tickets are printed at the time of issue, and again at the time of surrender in a manner which results in an imprinting of the nomograph which indicates to an attendant the amount due.

In the more fully automated systems, a ticket is encoded and issued to the entering customer. The ticket is automatically read by a special reading device upon its surrender. This device often includes means for automatically computing the amount due. In one recently developed completely unattended system, means are also provided to automatically receive the amount due from the customer in the form of cash, and to permit the customerto leave the facility only when the amount due has been paid.

One major factor in designing the automated systems of the prior art has been in selecting a method for coding information upon the tickets indicative of the time of issue, which information can be read by a suitable reading device upon surrender of the ticket. As a consequence, many methods have been employed. Typically, the prior art devices have been complex and expensive. Some such systems have provided for the printing of visual information upon the tickets, and

then the reading of the printed visual coded information through optical means in order to derive the information indicative of the time of issue of the ticket. Other systems have issued punched tickets which are readable by suitable reading devices for such tickets. Other systems have employed magnetically coded information upon cards or tickets which are then read at the time of surrender by suitable magnetic reading means. All of these devices have operated on the principle of encoding blank tickets at the time of their issue.

The devices available for coding blank tickets at the time of issue, and the devices for reading, at the time of surrender of the ticket, the information, which is in those fomrs which can be readily printed upon the ticket at the time of issue, are generally responsible for the complexity and expense of the systems which comprise them, and this has been a major disadvantage of such systems. Another disadvantage of such systems has been in the expense of issuing tickets in large numbers. Typically, large parking lots and garages may use thousands of tickets a day, at a substantial total cost over long periods of time.

Accordingly, it is a principle objective of the present invention toprovide the automatic dispensing of tickets with automatically readable encoded information contained thereon which is indicative of the time of issue of the ticket, without the need of complex and expensive ticket encoding apparatus at the point of issue.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide in an automatic system of this type an easily readable coding system in which the information is encoded upon the tickets, and to provide means for reading this information from cards coded in this manner.

A further objective of the present invention is to provide automatic systems of this type in which the amount due may be paid at a station which, in response to receipt of the payment, performs a function such as the opening of an exit gate to allow the customer to leave, or the issuing of a receipt which the customer may use to actuate the opening of an exit gate upon his departure.

It is still another objective of the present invention to reduce the consumption of tickets providing resusable tickets. The present invention is predicated on the concept of providing a parking system which utilizes precoded tickets. Due to the fact that they have been precoded, the tickets can be in the form of durable plastic cards having embossed time codes thereon. Embossed cards of this type are easily and accurately read in rugged electromechanical readers, which cost only a small fraction of the cost of magnetic or optical readers.

More particularly, a system of the present invention utilizes permanently encoded reusable tickets which are dispensed from a magazine having a plurality of compartments, each containing a supply of reusable tickets with pre-recorded automatically readable information contained thereon corresponding to the specific period of time during which the ticket was issued. The dispenser is synchronized with a timer to cause the automatic dispensing of tickets from the selected compartment which contains tickets having the appropriate pre-recorded information indicative of the time of issue of the ticket. Each of the supplies of tickets within the magazine contains only tickets indicative of a given period of time, and each of the supplies corresponds to a different period of time.

In the preferred coding method utilized with the system, information is embossed upon tickets, which are in the form of plastic cards. Conveniently, the coding may be conventional bar codes which may be used to vary other information. This information is furthermore readable preferably on a card reader which employs mechanical fingers which scan the underside of the card along predetermined paths as the card is inserted into a reader. The fingers are mechanically connected to the movable contact set of a multiple contact switch.

As the card is inserted toward a final position, the switch is moved successively through a plurality of switch positions. The position of the switches when the card reaches its full extent within the slot are determined by the positions of the first notches along the paths. Different contacts of different switches are connected in series in such a way that one of the switches is used to actuate groups of contacts on other switches and to verify that the setting of the other switches are the result of a valid code.

This information which is read is then compared with the time of the tickets surrender, as indicated by a clock, and the elapsed time isused as a basis to compute an amount due which is displayed to the customer. A cash receiver device accepts a cash payment from the customer and determines when the amount of the payment has reached the amount due. When it does, the system executes an operation which authorizes the departure of the customer from the premises. Alternatively, the system may issue a receipt which may be deposited at the exit gate to automatically open the gate.

In addition to the use of the present invention in connection with unattended parking lots and garages, it may also be used where there is a cashier. In such an installation the prerecorded ticket is handed to the cashier by the customer when he is leaving. The casher then inserts the ticket in a reader and collects the charge which is automatically computed for him. The system also has utility in other similar applications in which it is desirable to automatically charge a customer on the basis of elapsed time through the issuing of a coded ticket to him at the beginning of the period, which he surrenders at the end of the period for which he is to be charged.

Furthermore, while the present description is directed primarily to applications in which it is desirable to receive payment in the form of cash from the customer, it is contemplates that, in some applications, payment may be made in the form of a charge to the customers account, perhaps upon tendering of proper identification such as inserting a coded credit card into a card reader.

These and other objects and advantages of the present inventionwill be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the drawings illustrating one preferred form of a fee computing system according to principles of the present invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an automatic parking garage fee computing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are alternative arrangements of systems of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective illustrating a ticket dispenser and a pay station according to one possible arrangement of the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is an elevational view of the panel of the pay station of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a horizontal view, partially broken away, of a ticket dispenser of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevational cross sectional view through the dipesning mechanism of FIG. 4 illustrating the mechanism in a de-actuated condition;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 illustrating the dispensing mechanism in an actuated condition;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the control circuitry of the ticket dispenser of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a symbolic logic diagram representing the operation of the ticket dispenser of FIG. 4;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a pay station of FIG. 3;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of a sample ticket in the form of an embossed card encoded according to one of the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a table illustrating one form of code as illustrated on the ticket of FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a horizontal cross-sectional view, partially broken away through the pay station of FIG. 3 illustrating particularly the ticket reader;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view through the ticket reader of FIG. 12 illustrating a card in position, ready for insertion in the reader;

FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 13 illustrating the card partially inserted into the reader;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrating a card inserted further into the reader;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view through the ticket reader of FIG. 12 illustrating in detail the ticket reader decoding mechanism;

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view taken just beneath the cover plate along line 17-17 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 18 is a view similar to FIGS. 13-15 illustrating a card being ejected from the reader;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating the wiring of the reader switch of FIG. 16;

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of the elapsed time computing circuit of the logic circuit of FIG. 9;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram of the fee computing circuit of the logic circuit shown in FIG. 9;

FIGS. 22 through 26 are schematic diagrams of the logic computer and control circuit from the block diagram of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 27 is a symbolic logic diagram illustrating the function and operation of the pay station control circuitry of FIGS. 22-26.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF SYSTEM The preferred embodiment of a system according to the present invention is generally illustrated in the block diagram of FIG. 1 in connection with an automated parking lot or parking garage having a parking area 10. Entry to the area 10 is obtained via an entrance ramp 11 from which access to the area 10 is controlled by a power operated entry gate 12. Automobile departure from the area 10 is achieved by way of an exit ramp 13, access to which is controlled by a power actuated exit gate 14. At the entrance ramp 11 adjacent the entry gate 12 is a ticket dispensing area 15 at which an entering motorist 16 must stop prior to gaining entry to the parking area 10. At the area 15, the motorist 16 must obtain a ticket in order to open the entry gate 12 which blocks his entry to the parking area 10. The ticket bears a record of the time it was dispensed to the entering motorist 16. The ticket is automatically dispensed by a ticket dispenser 100. The ticket dispenser operates to dispense a ticket to the motorist in response to a signal which is generated by electrical circuitry at the entrance area 15 in response to the presence of the motorists vehicle at the area 15. When the motorist withdraws the ticket from the dispenser 100, the dispenser 100 automatically actuates the entry gate 12 to raise the gate and admit the motorist to the parking area 10.

When an exiting motorist 21 wishes to leave the parking area 10, he drives his car to a pay area 22 near the exit gate 14 which'blocks his passage from the parking area to the'exit'ramp :13. At the exit :area 22, the exiting motorist 21 inserts the ticket, which he had obtained upon entry to the-lot, into a ticket reader slot in a pay station 200. The-pay station 200 automatically compares the time of entry recorded upon the ticket with the real time of day, vcomputes the amount that the motorist owes, and dipslays this amount to the motorist. The motorist then inserts the amount that he owes in cahs into a cash acceptor at the pay station 200. The pay station 200 will acknowledge receipt of the full amount when paid by authorizing te motorists departure from the area-10, such as by automatically opening the exit gate 14, giving the exiting motorist access to the exit ramp 13.

The ticket dispenser 100 is provided with an indexable magazine 101 which is provided with a plurality of ticket compartments 102. Each of the compartments 102 contains a supply of tickets corresponding to a different period of time, and each of the tickets within a given compartment has recorded thereon information indicative of the period of time to which that compartment corresponds. The dispenser 100 will automatically dispense a ticket to an entering motorist from a selected one of the compartments 102. Selection of the compartment is achieved in accordance withthe time of day by indexing themagazine 101 in response to controlsignals through a clock input 103.

The pay station 200, according to one embodiment of the present invention, includes a clock 201 which synchronizes the indexing of the dipsenser 100 and computation performed by the pay station 200 in accordance with real time. The clock 201 has its outputs connected to the input-103 of the dispenser 100 and to the fee computing portionof the pay station 200. To provide a customer grace period and thereby relieve high charges for customers who enter near the end of one time period and exitajust'after the'beginning'of the next, the output to the-pay station:maylag'the output to the dispenser by, for-example, one-halflhour. Thefee computing portion includes a ticket reader 202 which accepts the ticket from the exiting motorist 21 and reads the motorists entry time as recorded on the ticket issued him when he entered. The information read from the ticket by the ticket reader 202 is communicated to a computation module 203which compares the entry time from the ticket with the real time as determined by the clock-201-at the'time the ticket is read. The computing module 203 converts the time difference into a monetary figure representative of the charge for that amount of time and displays the amount due to themotorist on'a display device-204. Thepay station 200 isalso provided withacash receiver 205 into which the exiting motorist 21 may deposit the amount" displayed to'him to obtain access to the exit ramp 13. The cash receiver mechanism 205, in conjunction with the computing module 203, determines when the amount displayed on a display device has beenpaid. When it has, a vending control 206 is actuated to authorize the motorists exit from'the parking area'10. 7

Two of the general embodiments of the system as set forth thus far inFIGJ are illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Referring-to FIG. 2A, the parking area'10 having the entrance ramp 11 and an exit ramp 13 is illustrated with a ticket dispenser. '100 positioned adjacent the ticket dispensing or entry area 15 to dispense the ticket to the entering motorist at the area 15 and to thereafter actuateandraise the entry gate 12. The pay station 200 is locatedadjacentthe pay area 22 and operates to receive the motorists ticket and the payment due for the time during which he was parked, and, in response to receipt of the payment, actuates the exit gate 14 to ,allow the motorist to depart by way of the exit ramp 13. V FIG. 23 illustrates an alternative arrangement to which the system of FIG. 1 may be applied. In this embodiment, the parking area 10 having an entrance ramp 11 and an exit ramp 13 is provided with a ticket dispenser armaged, as in FIG. 2A, adjacent the ticket dispensing area 15 in a manner which allows it to control the operation of the entry gate 12. However, in this embodiment, the pay station 200 is located in a pedestrian lobby which may be in the lobby of the parking garage, or in the lobby of one of the buildings served by the parking area 10. The pay station 200 operates in the same manner as thepay station of FIG. 2A; however, instead of opening the exit gate 14 upon receipt of payment, the unit 200 issues a receipt. This receipt may be in the same form as the ticket dispensed by the ticket dispenser 100 and has recorded on it the time that it was dispensed. The receipt is valid only for a short period of time which is sufficient to allow the motorist to remove his car from the parking area 10 and proceed to the exit gate 22. At the exit area 22, a receipt ticket reader202' is provided to accept the receipt, read the time encoded upon it, compare the time read with the real time from the clock 201, and, if the receipt is still valid, to actuate the exit gate 14. By this arrangement, a motorist may parkat the area 10 and, upon returning to remove his car, may pay his fee at the pay station 200 in the lobby. The arrangement of FIG. 28 allows the use of a single pay station for multiple exit gates and allows the motorist to proceed more quickly through the exit gate by relieving him of the necessity to deposit his cash from his automobile.

Referring to FIG. 3, the dispenser 100 and the pay station 200 according to the arrangement shown in FIG. 2A is illustrated foruse with a parking garage in whichthe entrance ramp 11 and the exit ramp 13 are adjacent. As shown in FIG. 3, thedispenser 100 is positioned adjacent the dispensing area 15 which is provided with means which may include electric eye detectors or magnetic loop pick-ups 17 for detecting the presence of an entering automobile at the area 15. The dispenser 100 is provided with a rotatable magazine 101 having a plurality of compartments 102 from which a ticket 31 is automaticallydispensed through a slot 104 upon detection'of the presence of an automobile at the area 15. When the ticket 31 is withdrawn from the slot 104 by the motorist, the dispenser 100 actuates a mechanism to raise the gate 12 to allow the motorist to enter the parking garage. At the exit area 22, as best shown in 'FIG. 3A, the pay station 200 receives the ticket 31 through the ticket reader 202 to compute and display the amount due on the display device 204. The motorist may deposit cash in the form of coins through the coin slot 211 or currency through the bill receiving slot 212 which, by decrementing the display counter 204 untilthe amount due is reduced to zero, executes a signal authorizing the motorist to leave the parking area, which signal operates to raise the exit gate 15. Change is also given to the motorist if required. For this purpose, the specific embodiment illustrated herein is provided means for returning change of from one to four nickles for overpayment made in coin. While no means are sown for comparting and returning change for currency deposited, it is understood that this provision could be added.

The pay station 200 is provided with other controls an indicators on the face of the control panel 210. These include a lost card push-button 228 which is used in lieu of the insertion of a card to assess the exiting motorist a fee, usually the maximum fee, if he has lost his ticket. Also provided is a cash return push button 229, a coin return slot 230, fee paid, use correct change only, and card in wrong indicator lights 225, 226, and 236 respectively, and a bent coin release (not shown). The details of operation of one preferred embodiment of the system, along with the operation of the preferred embodiment, is set forth in detail below.

DESCRIPTION OF TICKET DISPENSER The ticket dispenser 100 is illustrated in FIG. 4 with a circular magazine 101 having a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially aligned ticket compartments 102. The dispenser 100 is provided with an output dispensing slot 104 in the front panel 105 thereof forming part of the cabinet 106. The slot 104 and the panel 105 face toward the ticket dispenser area 15. The dispenser 100 is adapted to dispense a ticket 31 through the slot 104 toward a vehicle positioned at the dispensing area 15.

The circular magazine 101, in the embodiment illustrated, is provided with 12 of the bins or compartments 102. Each of these compartments is adapted to carry a stack of similar or identical rectangular shaped tickets 107. Each of the compartments 102 is in the form of a vertically oriented stacking tray 108 made up of a pair of channel shaped side sections, the traps being rectangular in cross-section and mounted upon the circular base plate 110. The plate 110 has 12 radial slots 111 therein. The trays 108 are rigidly mounted on the plate 110, one spaced symmetrically about each of the slots 111. The circular base plate 110 is pivotally mounted to the top of'a cabinet base plate 113 which forms a rigid part of the cabinet 106. The base plate 110 is, for this purpose, supported on a bearing shaft 114 which also supports, intermediate of the plate 113 and the plate 1 10, a circular ratchet disk 116. The disk 116 has, uniformly spaced about the circumference thereof, 12 unsymmetrical V-shaped notches 117. A locking lever 118, pivotally mounted at point 119 to the base 113, is provided with a detent roller 120 at the other end which is adapted to drop into the notches 117 to lock the plate 116 in any one of 12 positions corresponding to the 12 positions of the different compartments 102 adjacent the dispensing slot 104. The lever 108 is spring biased by a tension spring 122 attached between the midpoint of the lever 118 and a point 123 on the base 113 so that the detent roller 120 rides against the rim of the disk 116.

A ratchet pawl mechanism is provided for indexing the magazine 101 by sequentially advancing the compartments 102 past the slot 104 in the direction shown by the arrow 125. This pawl mechanism includes a ratchet pawl 127 which is pivotally mounted at point 128 to a pawl arm 129 which is pivotally mounted to the shaft 114. The pawl end 130 is biased under the in fluence of a spring (not shown) into engagement with the notches 117 in the circumference of the disk 116. The arm 128 is oscillatably driven by a linkage 131 pivotally connected at its opposite ends between the lever 129 and an eccetrically positioned pinion and gear wheel 133. The gear wheel 133 is driven by another gear 134 on the shaft of an electric motor 135. When motor 135 is energized, the resulting rotation of the gear wheel 133 rockes the linkage 131 and oscillates the arm 129 to advance the magazine in 101 when the arm 131 is movingin the direction of the arrow 136, with the pawl end engaged in a notch 117 of the disk 116. When the linkage 131 is moving opposite the direction of the arrow 136, the pawl end 130 will slip to the next notch 117 as the detent 120 prevents backward rotation of the magazine 101. A cam 138 is concentrically mounted on the shaft of the gear wheel 133 and is shown in the position that it will be in when the motor is de-energized. In this position, it opens the normally closed contacts of a limit switch 141. When the motor 135 is energized, the gear wheel 133 rotates in the direction of the arrow 143. At a small angle upstream of the limit switch 141, in the path of the cam 138, is a normally closed limit switch 144. The operation of these limit switches in the control of the machine will be best illustrated in connection with the logic and wiring diagrams of FIGS. 7 and 8 below.

Another motor, 150, is provided to drive the ticket dispensing mechanism through its output gear 151 which drives a gear wheel 152 to which is concentrically mounted a cam 153 shown in its normal position in FIG. 4, when the motor is de-energized. In this position, the cam 153 opens the normally closed contacts of a limit switch 155. Pivotally attached at one end to an eccentric point on the gear wheel 152 is a linkge arm 158 which is pivotally attached at its opposite end to the midpoint of a lever arm 159 which is in turn pivotally attached at point 160 to a bracket 157 fixed to the base 113. A free end 161 of lever 159 is adapted to move in the slot 111 beneath the compartment 102 which is located adjacent slot 104 when arm 158 is rocked by energization of the motor 150. The lever 159 underlies the disk 110 and is biased upwardly against the disk by a spring 162 for which purpose it is mounted above the base 113 by bracket 157 and secured loosely on its axis 160.

The operation of the lever 159 in dispensing tickets is better illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6. Referring to FIG. 5, the lever 159 is illustrated in its rest position of FIG. 4. To the free end 161 of the lever 159 is mounted a feed finger 163 provided with a notch 164 in the upper surface thereof and an upper cam surface 165. The tray 108 is provided with a slot 166 at the base of its outer edge adjacent the slot 104 in the front panel 105. The width of the slot 166 is greater than the thickness of one of the cards in the stackl07 but less than the thickness of two of the cards so that it may serve to separate the cards individually from the bottom of the stack to feed them through the slot 104. The plate 110, upon which the trays 108 are mounted, is illustrated with one of its slots 111 positioned in alignment with the feed finger 163. With the lever arm 159 in its retracted position (as shown), the feed finger 163 is biased downwardly by a plastic ring 167 mounted to the underside of the circular base plate 110. When the lever 159 is advanced in the direction of the arrow 169, the feed finger 163 moves to the left in FIG. 5 and upwardly to the position illustrated at 170, where the notch 164 may engage the inward edge of the lowermost ticket of the stack 107. As the arm 159 advances to its fully ex- 

1. An automatic fee computing system for a parking facility comprising: a. a clock; b. a ticket dispenser including
 1. an indexable storage magazine having a plurality of ticket storage compartments,
 2. each of said compartments corresponding to a different period of time,
 3. each of said compartments containing a supply of tickets encoded with identifying information unique to the supply of tickets within that compartment,
 4. means for selecting the one of said compartments corresponding to the reading of said clock, and
 5. means for dispensing a ticket from said selected one of said compartments; c. ticket reading means including
 1. a ticket reader for deriving the encoded identifying information from a received ticket, and
 2. means for comparing the derived information with the output of said clock and for generating a signal from the result of the comparison in accordance with the time elapsed between the dispensing of the ticket and the real time of said clock; and d. means responsive to said comparison signal for transforming the elapsed time information into a monetary fee.
 2. each of said compartments corresponding to a different period of time,
 2. means for comparing the derived information with the output of said clock and for generating a signal from the result of the comparison in accordance with the time elapsed between the dispensing of the ticket and the real time of said clock; and d. means responsive to said comparison signal for transforming the elapsed time information into a monetary fee.
 2. An automatic fee computing system according to claim 1 further comprising: cash receiving means; and means for signalling the receipt of said monetary fee by said cash receiving means.
 3. An automatic fee computing system according to claim 2 further comprising: said ticket dispensing means being adapted to dispense a single ticket to each customer entering a parking area; and means responsive to the acknowledgement of said fee for authorizing the customer''s deparature from the parking area.
 3. each of said compartments containing a supply of tickets encoded with identifying information unique to the supply of tickets within that compartment,
 4. means for selecting the one of said compartments corresponding to the reading of said clock, and
 4. An automatic fee computing system according to claim 3 wherein said ticket receiving means includes means for receiving cash as payment of the monetary fee and in response thereto authorizing the departure of the motorist from said area.
 5. A system according to claim 3 wherein; said acknowledging means is in the form of a ticket issuing means which issues a receipt ticket to the customer; and said system further comprises a receipt receiving means for releasing the customer from said parking area.
 5. means for dispensing a ticket from said selected one of said compartments; c. ticket reading means including
 6. A system according to claim 1 wherein said ticket reader comprises: means for edgewise receiving an embossed card; a plurality of switches, each including two sets of contacts, one set including a plurality of contacts and the contacts of one set being movable with respect to the other; a plurality of feeler means, one connected to each of the movable sets of contacts, and each positioned with respect to the card receiving means to scan the surface of the inserted card along different paths, and each adapted to engage a depression in the surface of said card encountered along said paths so that the fingers, once engaged in the depressions, will be displaced by the insertion of said card so as to move the movable set of contacts connected to the feeler to position the switch to compelte a path between a unique pair of contacts of the different sets; some of the contacts of each of said sets corresponding to unique items of information, and others of the contacts corresponding to different ones of the switches, the unique information contacts of each of the switches being connected in series with the contacts of other switches corresponding to that given switch.
 7. A system according to claim 6 wherein the information encoded upon the cards is conventional bar coded decimal information.
 8. An automatic parking system comprising: a clock; a supply of reusable pre-coded tickets including plural groups of tickets, each group corresponding to a different period of time; each of the tickets of any given group being encoded with identifying information unique to the tickets within that group; a ticket dispenser, said ticket dispenser including means for storing separately each of said groups of tickets, and means controlled by said clock (means) for selectively dispensing a ticket from the one of said groups which corresponds to the period of time indicated upon said clock; a ticket reader for reading the information encoded upon said ticket; means for comparing the information with the time indicated upon said clock to compute the time elapsed between the dispensing of the ticket and the time indicated by the clock; means for computing a monetary feed based upon said elapsed time computation; cash receiving means; and means for indicating the receipt of said monetary fee by said cash receiving means.
 9. A system according to claim 8 wherein said reading means includes a code reader comprisIng: means for edgewise receiving an embossed card; a plurality of switches, each including two sets of contacts, one set including a plurality of contacts and the contacts of one set being movable with respect to the other; a plurality of feeler means, one connected to each of the movable sets of contacts, and each positioned with respect to the card receiving means to scan the surface of the inserted card along different paths, and each adapted to engage a depression in the surface of said card encountered along said paths so that the fingers, once engaged in the depressions, will be displaced by the insertion of said card so as to move the movable set of contacts connected to the feeler to position the switch to complete a path between a unique pair of contacts of the different sets; some of the contacts of each of said sets corresponding to unique items of information, and others of the contacts corresponding to different ones of the switches, the unique information contacts of each of the switches being connected in series with the contacts of other switches corresponding to that given switch.
 10. A system according to claim 9 wherein the information encoded upon the cards is conventional bar coded decimal information. 